Foundations for Building a Neighbourhood Strategy – Tamarack Institute

This foundational course will walk you through 6 modules that will help you to define your reason, build the case for a neighbourhood strategy plan, and think about the development of the strategy.

The foundations for building a neighbourhood strategy course is for:

• Individuals who want to make their neighbourhood a better place

• On-the-ground staff to support residents to build a plan

• Municipal staff who have been tasked with putting a plan together

Have you been tasked to develop or want to build a vision and organize activities that will deepen a sense of community in your neighbourhood or town/city? How do you build the case to the decision-makers that this is a good idea?

The course brings Collective Impact and Asset-Based Community Development together to focus on building a plan with residents at the centre.

MODULE ONE: What is a strategy?
Have you ever developed strategies that end up going nowhere, sitting on a shelf? or wonder why the strategy did not work? This is because we did not take the time to reflect on what is a strategy, why we want to develop one, how to involve people in planning for a strategy and how to sustain the strategy. In this module, we will talk about what is a strategy, why develop a strategy and the different types of strategies.

MODULE TWO: What problem are you solving with a strategy?
Understanding why you want to develop a strategy is important. Is it because it's an internal organization request, is it because you are seeing the problem in your neighbourhood or you have been doing random activities and what to bring it together for a common agenda? The reasons why you are doing a strategy are really important to help you know how to put it together.

MODULE THREE: Communicating to your why
The next step is to understand the level of support for the potential neighbourhood strategy and communicate why it is important to have a strategy. You will need to think about different neighbourhood stakeholders, champions, or partners whose opinions on the issue are important.

MODULE FOUR: Engaging champions
In this module, we are going to focus on building your list of individuals whom you think should be involved in the development of the strategy and how to engage with them. It is so important to engage diverse perspectives and people and groups from across all sectors and bring their voices together. We encourage you to think about diversity- this means figuring out how to go out of your way to reach those who are not normally involved or the unreachable.

MODULE FIVE: How neighbourhood strategies get done
This next module takes you to the next step which is how to create your strategy. More specifically how to develop a strategy with the community at the center. We are going to talk about Asset-Based Community Development and Collective Impact.

MODULE SIX: Putting it All Together
Understanding the purpose and having support for your strategy will go a long way in the development of a strategy that is useful. This module is the last one in this course. It's about putting everything you learned together and what better way than to share case studies of those who have built strategies to inspire you?

To register: Tamarack Institute – FBNS

Ending Poverty Pathways – Tamarack Institute

To support government, business, non-profit, and lived/living experience leaders to understand, advocate for, and advance high-impact ending poverty pathways in their communities. 

LESSON ONE: The End of Poverty
Begin with some inspiration, as you learn about what Canada has accomplished so far. Explore the changing role of municipalities, and how Saint John and Hamilton have moved the needle toward ending poverty in their communities.

LESSON TWO: Ending Working Poverty
Learn how governments, employers, and non-profits can end working poverty through increased minimum wages, reformed income supports for full-time decent work, and equitable hiring and procurement policies.

LESSON THREE: Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments Ending Poverty
Apply a Collective Impact lens as you explore the role of the federal government in ending poverty and learn about the critical links between provincial/territorial poverty reduction plans and the essential place-based work of communities.

LESSON FOUR: Cities and Communities Ending Poverty
Learn why cities and communities are so well-positioned to assess local challenges, harness community assets, and bring people together across sectors to nudge policy and systems change.

LESSON FIVE: Big Ideas for Ending Poverty
Explore three big ideas: Basic Income as a transformational approach to ending poverty; Quebec's innovative child care model; and, Built for Zero Canada's data-driven national change effort for ending homelessness.

This course is available to use at your own pace, but you'll be learning alongside a diverse group of Tamarack Institute learners. Engage in comments and questions on the online platform, and join us for monthly Q&A sessions for a deeper dive into the content and to get more personalized insights.

To register: Tamarack Institute - EPP

Resolving Conflict - Charity Village

In this course, learners will explore the topic of conflict resolution and recognize what conflict is and what causes it.

Additionally, they will learn about the different types of conflict and their impact on the workplace environment. Lastly, learners will learn to develop skills that will support them with conflict resolution methods and processes.By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Recognize what conflict is and what causes it

• Review different types of conflict and their impact

• Determine best ways to action it and set goals

• Develop skills to set action plans and follow-up processes

To register: Charity Village - RC

From Lateral Violence to Lateral Kindness Workshop - First Nations, Inuit, & Métis Program

This workshop equips participants with the understanding and skills to recognize, address, and transform lateral violence within communities and workplaces.

Focusing on “lateral kindness,” the program explores the root causes of lateral violence, offers strategies for promoting empathy, and fosters a culture of support and respect. Learners will gain access to a dedicated Learning Management System (LMS) with additional resources, interactive exercises, and tools to promote sustainable change in their personal and professional lives. This is a virtual program is provided in one session (3.5 hours).

Upon program completion, learners will have gained knowledge related to:

• Understanding Lateral Violence and its Impact: Recognize the root causes of lateral violence, its effects on communities, and the importance of addressing it.

• Developing Skills for Lateral Kindness: Learn practical techniques to foster empathy, compassion, and supportive communication to counter lateral violence.

• Creating Safe and Respectful Environments: Implement strategies that promote cultural safety, respect, and a foundation of kindness in interpersonal and professional relationships.

• Team Building Games: fun team building games that give learners another opportunity to understand how our own perspective, communication and mindset can impact the environment around us

  Objectives:

• Define lateral violence and its manifestations in communities and workplaces.

• Identify the emotional, social, and cultural impacts of lateral violence on individuals and communities.

• Practice communication techniques that encourage kindness, openness, and mutual understanding.

• Develop conflict resolution skills tailored to addressing lateral violence with sensitivity and respect.

• Learn to identify and manage triggers in oneself and others to prevent escalation of lateral violence.

• Develop action plans for implementing lateral kindness in personal and professional settings.

Audience:

• Community leaders, educators, and mentors interested in fostering healthier interpersonal dynamics.

• Health, social services, and community support workers seeking practical strategies to address lateral violence in the workplace.

• Indigenous community members and organizations working to create safe, compassionate environments.

• Individuals interested in learning how to transform conflict into growth opportunities and promote lateral kindness.

This program can be delivered in-person upon request.

To register: Lateral Kindness

First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

A training for first responders to learn how to respond to disclosures around sexual assault and abuse. 

With support from the Government of Alberta and Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) developed First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training™. This training is intended to build the capacity of professionals, paraprofessionals and community members to respond effectively to disclosures of sexual assault and sexual abuse. Survivors who receive safe and supportive responses to disclosures of sexual violence are more likely to reach out for help from medical and counselling services and/ or report to police. First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training™ is inclusive of the full continuum of sexual violence and across the lifespan. This is an Alberta based workshop which uses Alberta resources and guidelines. This is a beginner yet comprehensive ‘Identify, Respond and Refer’ training. This training is beneficial to professionals and paraprofessionals who are working with individuals who may be impacted by sexual violence and to other community members who are interested in increasing their skills and confidence to address sexual abuse and sexual assault. This training is open to, but not limited to, individuals who work in Health, Social Services, Education & Justice, Nurses, Physicians, Social Workers, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Teachers, School Counselors, Police Officers, Victim Services Workers, as well as Faith Leaders

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Define sexual violence and describe its various forms

• Understand the short and long term impacts of sexual violence across the lifespan

• Articulate why sexual violence is never the fault of the person who has been harmed

• Explain the attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate sexual violence and other root causes

• Provide a positive and supportive first response to a disclosure of sexual violence

• Identify resources and referrals to support those who have experienced sexual violence

This training will teach participants about sexual violence and the first responding skills for disclosures of sexual assault and abuse. This is NOT a course on counselling interventions. If you have experience in counselling and would like to take a more advanced level, 12 week course designed for counselling interventions, please see our Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence course.

To register: AASAS - FRSAAT

Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

This 12 week online integrative course is designed for counselors, therapists, and other mental health practitioners who are new to working with survivors of sexual violence, or who may be already working with survivors and would like to more deeply inform their counselling practice. 

Participation is open to those in the helping fields (mental health professionals, social workers, etc.) whose scope of practice falls within the code of ethics and standards of practice of the professional body to which they belong. Applicants must have, at a minimum, a bachelor’s level education in a social or health services discipline and/or are registered/licensed with a professional association that maintains a code of ethics and standards of practice that provide parameters for the registrant’s scope of practice. Special considerations may be accommodated on a case by case basis. For questions contact ContEd@aasas.ca.

While this course does not provide in-depth training in a specific modality it will introduce and critically consider various modalities, theories, principles and ethics associated with working with survivors of sexual violence. This course offers an integrative, mindfulness-based approach to on-going assessment and interventions with adult survivors (all genders) of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. It draws on the most current theory including feminist, attachment, regulation, and interpersonal neurobiology; and evidence-based practices, including mindfulness, cognitive, emotion-centered, somatic, and other emergent approaches for trauma, addiction and mental health.

The baseline premise is that the embodied present-moment personhood of the therapist is the primary evidence-based intervention in working with survivors. The course is also situated within an understanding of culturally relevant practice and how multiple identities, social locations and historical contexts inform interventions with survivors; and how counsellor reflection, self-knowledge and self-care form the basis for ethical counsellor praxis.

Upon completion students will be able to:

• Discuss evidence-based self-care practices, including building a community of support, to increase resilience and minimize practitioner burnout

• Articulate theoretical frameworks for understanding sexual violence and trauma, how they reflect values, worldviews, and interventions

• Describe the complexities of responding to the effects and impacts of sexual violence, that there is ‘no average client’ and to affirm practitioners’ capacities to co-create and sustain a therapeutic relationship

• Recall the principles, tools, and skills to reduce distress and provide stability and to conduct initial and on-going assessment strategies

• Name the basic principles, tools, and skills of a variety of evidence-based approaches (including mindfulness, cognitive, emotional, somatic and anti-oppressive) to respond to the effects of sexual violence and trauma

• Draw from a number of approaches to work collaboratively with adult survivors of sexual violence addressing the relationship issues that may be specifically meaningful to them

• Mindfully bring the therapeutic relationship to closure.

To register: AASAS – CASSV

Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition – Deakin University

Explore the relationship between nutrition and brain health, why it matters, and how to work towards positive food changes.

Poor diet and poor mental health are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. We now know that diet quality is a modifiable factor that is linked to mental and brain health across all stages of our lives.

We will explore how our daily diets may affect our mental and brain health, including the role of our immune system and gut microbiome.

The course will provide research evidence, practical examples, skills development, and collaboration on dietary intake assessment, strategies and resource sharing for dietary change.

To register: FutureLearn Platform – Food and Mood

Sharpening the Saw: Focusing on Men’s Health and Wellness Course - First Nations, Inuit, & Métis Program

This course is dedicated to addressing the often-overlooked issues surrounding men’s overall wellness.

This session aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the unique wellness challenges faced by men, the barriers to seeking help, and effective strategies for support and intervention and how to implement effective strategies in your community. This is a virtual program provided in one session (2.5 hours).

Upon program completion, learners will have gained knowledge related to:

• The current state of men’s holistic wellness, including statistics and common issues. How mental illness may manifest in men compared to other genders.

• Examining how societal expectations and cultural norms impact men’s overall health and their willingness to seek help.

• Identifying prevalent mental health conditions among men, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

• Understanding the obstacles that prevent men from seeking wellness support, such as stigma and gender stereotypes.

• Learning how to engage in open and supportive conversations about holistic wellness with men.

• Evidence-based practices for supporting men’s mental health, including therapeutic approaches, peer support, and starting your own community programs addressing men’s wellness.

• Normalizing Conversations: making it a regular part of conversations to reduce stigma.

Audience:

General public, Health and social service providers, mental health professionals, educators, community leaders, and anyone interested in understanding and supporting men’s mental health

Course Instructors are highly experienced facilitators with knowledge of Indigenous mental wellness, cultural relevance, and trauma-informed care.

This program can be delivered in-person upon request.

To register: Sharpening the Saw

Developing Emotional Resiliency and Self-Care - Charity Village

In this 15-hour course, you will explore resiliency and recognize the “7 C’s” of resiliency and the four pillars of self-leadership.

You will also learn how to apply principles of self-care to avoid burnout and fatigue.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe resiliency

• Recognize the 7 C’s of resiliency

• Explain self-leadership

• Identify the 4 pillars of self-leadership

• Apply the principles of self-care

• Identify symptoms of burnout

• Recognize career fatigue

• Develop strategies to start a conversation in the workplace to reduce stress

To register: Charity Village - DERSC

HR and DEI Courses for Professionals - Canadian Equality Consulting

CEC offers a number of custom online, on-demand sessions focused on various HR and DEI topics.

These courses include:

• Black History Month: Exploring the Roots of Anti-Black Racism

• DEI Fundamentals

• Detangling Anti-Fat Bias in the Workplace

• Equitable and Inclusive Leadership Certification

• Equitable and Inclusive Boards

• Indigeneity in Turtle Island: Footprints Across These Lands

• Navigating Canada’s Complex Histories: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

• Over The Rainbow: A Celebration of Gender and Sexual Diversity

• Over The Rainbow: An Exploration of Trans & Non-Binary History

• Unconscious Bias & Bias Awareness

To register: CEC – Online Courses

Introduction to Hoarding Disorder – Hoarding Disorder Foundation of Alberta

This three-hour workshop, offered by the Hoarding Disorder Foundation of Alberta, will introduce you to important information about hoarding.

We present information on stigma and myths, assessment, complicating factors and treatment options, communication strategies and harm reduction. Finally, we offer practical tips and tools and local resources for helping in a good way.

This session is designed for people with a keen interest in providing appropriate support to a person living with HD:

• Family members, friends and neighbours

• Professional organizers/declutter coaches

• Property management, disposal & cleaning companies

• Municipal enforcement

• Social services and of course, mental health professionals

We encourage anyone who is interested to register. If cost is prohibitive, please contact us to discuss a sliding scale.

To register: HDFA – IHD

Workplace Mental Health and Psychological Safety Certificate Program – Charity Village

The interactive modules explain the many aspects related to workplace mental health and clinicians provide clear guidance on how to optimally address these delicate and complex issues within a work setting.

This 10-part Certificate Program is developed by leading psychologists and mental health professionals, so you know you are receiving the most up to date and clinically sound information on the market today.  Testing and Certification ensures knowledge transfer.

Modules:

• An Introduction to Mental Health and Psychological Safety at Work

• Assess Risks and Vulnerabilities to Mental Health

• Understanding Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

• Supporting Employee Mental Health: A Program for Managers

• Identifying and Managing Addictions at Work

• Principles of Prevention: A New Model to Promote Psychological Safety at Work

• Managing Change: Principles and Best Practices

• Management of Trauma and Critical Incidents in the Workplace

• Best Practices for Stress Management & Mindfulness in the Workplace

• Action Plan for Implementing Mental Health and Psychological Safety in Your Workplace

• This program is on-demand, meaning that you can take it anytime and at your own place. If you choose to complete the program in one sitting, it will take you approximately 8 hours. When you purchase a single course or a pre-set bundle, you have 12 months to complete the course(s) from the date of purchase.

To register: Charity Village – WMHPSCP

Reconciliation Education – First Nations University of Canada

In honour of the Residential School Survivors and on the heels of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, Reconciliation Education is the foremost educational tool for corporate, community, and classroom anti-racist training in providing the basic foundational 1:0:1 on reconciliation with authentic Indigenous voices. 

2.5 to 3 hours. 10 interactive modules. Designed to educate all Canadians.

To register: Reconciliation Education

Cultural Awareness Training - Indigenous Psychological Services

Cultural awareness training designed for psychologists working with Indigenous populations.

Our training integrates the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, crucial for psychologists working Indigenous populations.

We offer programs designed to enhance awareness of historical factors impacting client well-being and review how cultural insights can promote healing.

We explore trauma-informed perspectives that are effective in colonized systems and focus on actionable truth reconciliation with cultural safety at the forefront.

We differentiate between cultural humility and competency and define holistic practices applicable in clinical settings.

Our training equips psychologists to adopt cultural and trauma-informed practices, including a Residential School in-service with impactful presentations and sessions for survivors.

To register: Indigenous Psychological Services - Workshops

CSS for Executive Leadership - Cultivating Safe Spaces

Tailored for leaders, this course equips executives and managers to embed CSS principles throughout their organizations. Learn how to navigate systemic challenges, support neurodivergent team members, and foster resilience through inclusive leadership. Modules focus on modeling connection, addressing colonial structures, and creating sustainable, system-wide change.

Who It’s For:
Executives, managers, and organizational leaders committed to fostering transformational workplace cultures.

To register: CSS – Online Courses

Enhanced CSS Add-On - Cultivating Safe Spaces

A deep dive into the CSS framework and tools. Expand your knowledge by applying CSS principles in real-world scenarios, navigating complex situations, and fostering deeper safety and belonging. This advanced course helps participants integrate the framework into daily interactions and workplace dynamics.

Who It’s For:
Learners who have completed the Intro to CSS Course and want to deepen their understanding and practical application of CSS principles.

To register: CSS – Online Courses

Intro to CSS Course - Cultivating Safe Spaces

A basic introduction to the CSS framework, this course bridges Indigenous Knowledge and neuroscience to give participants a foundational understanding of why cultivating safe spaces matters. Learn the Four Conditions (Understanding Self, Love-Based Practice, Patience, and Discipline) and Four Protocols (Well-Being, Inclusion, Freedom, and Validation). This course provides the groundwork for understanding how emotional safety and connection drive personal and professional growth.

Who It’s For:
Individuals or teams seeking to grasp the core principles of CSS and begin integrating them into everyday interactions.

To register: CSS – Online Courses

Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training – Cascade Projects

Cultural awareness training with a focus on experiential activities and practical discussions around reconciliation.

Cascade believes engagement begins before a shovel hits the ground. It begins internally with an organization’s understanding, capacity and intention when it comes to Indigenous engagement. To build that foundation, our Indigenous Engagement Advisors works with clients to design and deliver cultural awareness training to ensure their employees from the top down are prepared when they are working in community. Led by our Indigenous Awareness Educator, Dr. Patricia Makokis, this participatory training covers the History of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and is adapted to Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 First Nations history. This in-person training includes a grounding circle, the blanket exercise, a debrief session and a discussion on how to connect these learnings to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #92. This training is customizable and can be delivered for 10+ people over a full or half day.

To register: Cascade

Certified Psychological Health & Safety Training - CMHA-Alberta

This certification has been developed to provide an experiential learning opportunity for participants so they can better support organizations of all sizes in creating a tailored Psychological Health & Safety Management System.

After successfully completing the training, participants will receive a Certificate in Psychological Health & Safety. Employers will see those with this certification as having the practical expertise to help improve psychological health and safety and implement “the Standard” in their workplaces. 

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Be prepared to initiate the creation or expansion of a Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Management System in an organization

• Have access to the tools necessary to support implementing the Standard

• Appreciate the steps required to create a fulsome PH&S Management System and be able to communicate those steps to all committed to that outcome.

To register: CMHA-AB

Imagine Institute for Learning

Imagine Institute for Learning invites professionals across sectors to imagine what is possible in a world where compassion meets action.

We use evidence-informed practice and research to create immersive learning opportunities that will ignite the potential and inspire the hearts of participants who work to support human beings in different settings.

Whether you are a social worker, educator, first responder, health practitioner, or community worker, our trainings provide the necessary catalyst to up your game and be the best version of yourself in practice. We all need extra tools in our toolbox and at Imagine, we specialize in translating research into practice using experiential activities and reflective practice to guide learning into a deeper understanding of the content. Come learn, dream and play with us as we transform the reality of our work into meaningful practice.

Trauma-Informed Care

• Intergenerational Wisdom

• Compassion to Action

• Trauma-Informed De-escalation Strategies (TIDeS)

• Transforming Practice Through Trauma-Informed Principles

Mental Health

• Human-Centred Approach to Understanding Mental Health™

• Understanding Loss & Grief

• QPR Suicide Prevention

• Understanding Suicide

Human-Centred Relationship Based Practice

• Creating Healthy Professional Boundaries

• Navigating Challenging Conversations

• Supporting Clients with Goal Setting

• Self-Compassion: Moving from Self-Care to Self-Sustainability

• Understanding Unconscious Bias 

Organizational Support & Capacity Building 

• Building Psychological Safety in the Workplace

• Fostering Reflective Practice in the Workplace

• Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace

• Group Facilitation: Introduction

• Group Facilitation: Using Brain Science and Storytelling

• Group Facilitation: The Art of Trauma Informed Facilitation

• Workplace Culture and Playfulness

Human Development

• The Early Years of the Developing Brain

• An Introduction to Social Emotional Development

• Creating Boundaries with Children and Technology

• Reframing Challenging Behaviours

• Responding to Trauma in Early Childhood

• Understanding Temperament

• Learning through Play

Educator Support and Capacity Building

• A Trauma-Informed Approach to Guiding Behaviours

• Trauma-Informed Classrooms

• Practicing Self-Compassion in the Classroom

• Pedagogical Practice: Planning and Playing

• Building Secure Relationships

  EmpowerED: Leadership Development Certifications 

• Depolarizing Leadership Training

• Stepping Up: Trauma-Informed Leadership Certification

• Sustaining Leadership Conversations: Nurturing Wellness, Connection, and Performance

• Strategies for Reflective Supervision

Experiential Learning 

• LEGO ® Serious Play®

• Life Capacity Mental Health Simulation™

• Brain Architecture Game®

To see descriptions for all available training, download the Training Framework PDF on this page: Imagine Institute

To register: Imagine Institute for Learning Upcoming Sessions